


there's context in our love

by guidingmoon



Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-01
Updated: 2019-04-01
Packaged: 2019-12-27 01:50:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18294434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/guidingmoon/pseuds/guidingmoon
Summary: Jiwoo just needs a date for her school reunion.





	there's context in our love

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote most of this in one day so apologies if there are mistakes. I also got distracted by the new teaser...I am READY for # / burn / whatever the next comeback is called.

It's not that Jiwoo doesn't want to ask Jungeun; she desperately does, it's just that there's a lingering fear that Jungeun will say no immediately. Despite Heejin constantly telling her that Jungeun will say yes in a heartbeat, Jiwoo keeps thinking of a million ways Jungeun could turn her down.

After days of agonizing, Jiwoo's confronted by Heejin, much exasperated with her.

"You shouldn't be nervous about asking Jungeun," she says. "She always helps you when you need it."

Jiwoo frowns, considering her words. "You think she'll agree?" she asks anxiously.

Sighing, Heejin takes a long look at her friend. "She will, I know it."

Jiwoo asks Jungeun when they're out on a walk with friends. Heejin and Hyunjin are walking a little way in front, chatting animatedly. Jungeun drags her feet along the ground, getting her white shoes dirty, but Jiwoo knows better than to chide her for it. 

At first, she struggles to get the words out. Jungeun gazes patiently at her, waiting for her to explain.

"I need a date to my school reunion," Jiwoo says quietly. "Would you be okay if I brought you? We wouldn't need to do anything, just pretend we're together."

Jungeun nods. "That's fine," she answers, nonchalant.

Jiwoo sucks a breath in. "My parents also-" she starts, unsure of how to word it right. "They think I'm dating someone, they misunderstood something I said on the phone to them a while ago." 

"Don't you have that wedding?" Jungeun asks suddenly. "In three weeks?"

"Yeah I do," Jiwoo says. She glances at Jungeun , who's looking at her expectantly. "But I can't ask you to come to that, it's unfair on you."

"No it isn't," Jungeun shakes her head. "Whatever you need me to do, I'm here to help."

Relief replaces Jiwoo's nerves, and she shoots Jungeun a grateful smile. "Thank you so much, you're a life saver."

"Were you worried I'd say no?" Jungeun asks, a small smile tugging at her lips. Already, she knows the answer, and she slips a hand in Jiwoo's, squeezing tight. "I always say yes to you."

Jiwoo's throat closes up and she ducks her head, eyes focusing on a rock on the ground. She moves her hand so she can intertwine their fingers, and her heart warms at the sight of Jungeun's wide grin. They walk the rest of the way in silence, save for when the others insist they all take photographs in front of the sunset.

 

—

 

At the reunion, Jiwoo gets separated from Jungeun pretty early on. Perhaps it's the fact that she refused Jungeun's suggestion of holding hands, or that there are so many people crowding around her to give her hugs as she enters the main hall, but Jiwoo loses track of Jungeun within mere minutes. Heejin and Hyunjin are accompanying them, for reasons Jiwoo couldn't quite explain to Jungeun. It's not as if she could just tell her that she brought her other friends along as a support system, in case she can't handle herself around Jungeun alone now that they're under the guise of being girlfriends. Luckily, Jungeun hadn't questioned the addition of the other girls.

In an every day situation, Jiwoo wouldn't give much thought to the whereabouts of Jungeun, knowing that she's perfectly fine when left to her own devices. However, bringing your best friend as a fake date to your school reunion isn't exactly a normal occurrence in one's day. Therefore, Jiwoo can't help but worry about Jungeun. It's more on her own behalf rather than Jungeun's, as Jiwoo really needs the comforting presence of her best friend to calm her nerves. The problem is that Jiwoo never lies to people, but the next few weeks are going to be full of rather monumental lies. The worst part of all is that she's going to be deceiving her own parents. 

Jiwoo tries her hardest not to think about that daunting prospect, and instead focuses on catching up with old friends that she hasn't seen for a while. She loses track of time as she talks to them, enjoying all the stories about their jobs and partners. She keeps an eye out for Jungeun, just in case, but there's nothing.

A little while later, Jiwoo still hasn't managed to locate Jungeun, so she's taken to standing by the drinks table, in case Jungeun happens to pass by. As Jiwoo is refilling her glass of red, she catches the eye of one of her closest friends from her school days. 

"Tell me about your girlfriend," Yeonjung sidles up to Jiwoo and fixes her with a smug look. "She's really pretty."

"Makes sense that I'm dating her, then," Jiwoo quips. She knows Yeonjung will pick up on the joke, but she's careful not to be too dismissive.

Yeoreum leans over and joins in the conversation. "How long have you been dating?" she asks, looking genuinely invested.

Panicked, Jiwoo scrambles to find a number that would make sense. "Five months," she replies, a little hastily. "Technically seven though, two in secret, because of my parents. I didn't want them to know for a while."

"Is it all good now?" Yeonjung presses.

Jiwoo nods. "They're okay with it, but you know, it's hard for them to wrap their heads around the fact that I'm dating one of my best friends. My dad was shocked when he found out, and then he thought we'd been dating for way longer because of how often Jungeun comes to mine."

A strange look passes between Yeonjung and Yeoreum, which Jiwoo struggles to decipher.

"To be honest, that makes sense," Yeonjung says carefully, clearly holding something back. When Jiwoo cocks an eyebrow at her, she continues. "I mean, it did look like you guys had something going on, even a year ago. I guess it was just build-up."

Yeoreum eagerly agrees, and Jiwoo forces a quick smile as she analyzes Yeonjung's words. A hyperactive Heejin interrupts her thoughts, the younger girl tugging at her sleeve to pull her off the bench.

"What?" Jiwoo queries, shooting an apologetic look towards Yeonjung and Yeoreum, before being dragged away.

"Jungeun needs your help," Heejjn says excitedly. "She's talking to Yoojung and she's asking her a lot of questions. I said I'd get you to come over."

"Hold on, questions about our relationship?" Jiwoo starts, trying to remain calm.

"If you want to call it that, sure," Heejin laughs. "You're lucky Hyunjin and I are so good at lying. Imagine if you didn't have us to back you up."

Jiwoo's still focused on the fact that Yoojung is grilling Jungeun. "Yeonjung and Yeoreum were asking me questions too," she says worriedly. "What if Jungeun and I gave different answers, what if the girls talk to each other-"

"Stop, it will be fine," Heejin reassures. "No one's going to be suspicious. You guys worked out your fake back story together already."

From across the room, Jungeun catches Jiwoo's eye and quirks her lips in an amused smile, nodding towards Heejin. Jiwoo pulls a face back, acting as if Heejin is grating on her, and Jungeun laughs loudly. It rings clear across the room, and several people turn to look for the source.

They soon reach Jungeun and Yoojung, Jiwoo opening her arms in greeting. Yoojung gives her a tight hug and grins at her.

"You guys are cute," she says, gaze flitting between Jungeun and Jiwoo. "Five months, hmm?"

All at once, Jiwoo's nerves are calmed. "Yeah," she replies. "It feels like longer, though."

"Don't forget those extra two months in secret," Jungeun adds, winking at Jiwoo . She puts her hand out and Jiwoo moves round to stand with her, quickly slipping her hand into Jungeun's. Almost instinctively, Jungeun leans into Jiwoo's side comfortably.

Heejin giggles at the action. "Imagine being in the same room with these two every day, it gets tiring," she jokes to Yoojung.

 

—

 

Come the end of the evening, Jiwoo thinks it's safe to say that the reunion was a success. She and Jungeun managed to pull off the girlfriend act reasonably well - Heejin tells them that they were both incredibly convincing to everyone - so Jiwoo has little cause to worry. As Jungeun drives the four of them home, Jiwoo almost forgets about the wedding coming up in a couple of weeks' time. It's only when Jungeun's dropped Heejin and Hyunjin off and she walks Jiwoo up the stairs of her apartment building that Jiwoo remembers the wedding. 

Clearly, her realization must have been evident on her face, because Jungeun tilts her head and fixes her with a curious look.

"What's the problem?" she asks, chuckling at Jiwoo's panicked expression.

"It's nothing, I just..." Jiwoo sighs and presses her hand against her eyes wearily. "I forgot that the wedding isn't far away. There's only like two weeks left. Are you sure you still want to be my date for it?"

Jungeun grins. "Of course I'm sure. I wouldn't leave you high and dry like that."

The choice of words prompts Jiwoo to blush. Thoughts of Jungeun and her in a hotel room suddenly come to mind, and she blinks her eyes, willing them to disappear. Now is certainly not the time to be thinking of her best friend in  _that_ way. Not that this is the first time she's considered Jungeun in a different light, but usually those thoughts are a little more appropriate and don't involve visions of Jungeun in bed, touching her-

A gentle pressure on her arm shakes Jiwoo out of her thoughts. She looks up at Jungeun and can't help but smile at the concerned expression on Jungeun's face. 

"Will you be okay tonight?" Jungeun asks softly. "I know you had a lot to drink, so..."

Jiwoo shakes her head. "I didn't have much, only like two glasses," she protests. "I'll be fine."

"Text me in the morning, yeah?" Jungeun says. "If you need a hangover cure, I can bring you something."

"You can just bring yourself," Jiwoo murmurs, starting to feel the effects of the alcohol now. She rests her head against Jungeun's shoulder and wraps her arms around her waist, pulling her in for a hug. They stand like that for a while, neither of them noticing the crisp breeze in the air as they take in each other's warmth. 

Eventually, Jiwoo extracts herself and she grins lazily at Jungeun. "You don't want to stay over tonight?"

Jungeun bites her lip. "I don't know, I should probably get home. Haseul and Vivi will wonder where I am."

Jiwoo pouts at her. "Just tell them you're at mine," she coaxes. "Plus, this way you can easily look after me in the morning instead of having to make a trip out here."

"I guess," Jungeun says, admitting defeat. She pulls her phone out and texts Haseul to say that she won't be going back to their place that night. She follows Jiwoo into her apartment, careful not to let the door slam shut and disturb Jiwoo's neighbors. 

When they reach the living room, Jungeun flops down on the couch and immediately makes herself comfortable. She's been to Jiwoo's place enough times now to know that she's perfectly welcome to make herself at home. Both Jiwoo and her roommate, Sooyoung, are incredibly accommodating.

"What are you doing?" Jiwoo frowns, watching as Jungeun pulls a blanket off the arm of the couch and covers herself with it.

"I'm going to sleep, what does it look like I'm doing?" Jungeun mutters, trying to get into a comfortable position. She grabs a cushion to act as a pillow.

"No way are you sleeping on the couch!" Jiwoo exclaims, tugging the blanket away from Jungeun. "You can sleep with me."

The tips of Jungeun's ears turn red. "I'm okay here, honestly," she objects, burying her head further into the cushion. 

"Not happening," Jiwoo asserts, using all her strength to haul Jungeun off the couch. It results in a gentle fight, Jungeun refusing to be pulled all the way up from the couch. When Jiwoo stubs her toe on the corner of the coffee table and glares at Jungeun, that's when Jungeun finally gives in. She lets herself be dragged along to Jiwoo's room, doing her best not to make too much noise lest they wake Sooyoung up. 

Once in Jiwoo's room, a bunch of pyjamas are thrown at Jungeun, who catches them all and inspects them.

"Choose whichever ones you want," Jiwoo gestures, turning her back. "You can get changed here, or in the bathroom like usual. It's up to you." As if to prove how little it bothers her, she begins stripping out of her own clothes. 

Hastily, Jungeun turns away from Jiwoo, not wanting to seem like she's prying. She briefly considers going to the bathroom, but then thinks better of it and gets changed super fast right there. She can tell that Jiwoo's still got her back turned to her, even though she's already in her pyjamas. 

"I'm done," Jungeun says, scrunching her normal clothes together. She puts them in one corner of the room so they won't make a mess. Jiwoo's room is surprisingly spotless, not at all in its usual untidy state. 

"Can you turn the lights out?" Jiwoo requests. Just before Jungeun flicks the switch, Jiwoo turns on her bedside lamp so that Jungeun can easily make her way to the bed. Jiwoo makes herself comfortable under the covers, lifting them on the other side for Jungeun.

Jungeun slides into the bed and stares up at the ceiling, actively avoiding meeting Jiwoo's eyes. She drums her fingertips against her stomach.

"I'll turn the lamp off," Jiwoo says quietly. After a couple of seconds, the room is plunged into darkness and all that the girls can see is the faint outline of the window, where the light from the street manages to creep in a little. 

Jiwoo turns onto her side, facing Jungeun. She can hear the older girl taking deep breaths and Jiwoo senses that she might be a little on edge, so she reaches out tentatively and brushes her hand against what she hopes is Jungeun's waist. She feels Jungeun eventually relax into her touch, so she snuggles a little closer and wraps her arm around Jungeun's stomach, feeling more confident now. 

Slowly, Jungeun shifts closer to her and slips an arm underneath Jiwoo, so that Jiwoo can curl against her properly. It doesn't take long for both of them to fall asleep after that.

  

—

 

Jiwoo wakes in the morning to the smell of breakfast cooking and she jolts upright, her mouth already watering. She notices that Jungeun's side of the bed is empty, which most likely means that she had to leave early. Jiwoo's determined to get to the kitchen before Sooyoung eats everything that she's cooked. If Jiwoo's lucky, she'll be able to steal a couple of bites.

When she gets to the kitchen, she stops dead in her tracks and stares at the sight in front of her. Jungeun's there at the oven, wearing an oversized apron, carefully tending to the cooking. There's no trace of Sooyoung anywhere in the kitchen or living room. 

"Did you make all of this?" Jiwoo asks, startling Jungeun.

"Hey, don't creep up on me like that!" Jungeun exclaims, pressing a hand to her chest. She laughs at herself, despite her fright. "I thought you wouldn't wake up for a while, so I'm making breakfast. Hope it's okay that I finished off the sugar for the pancakes, I don't know when you guys are going shopping next."

Jiwoo grins at her. "That's totally okay," she says. "You know, you didn't have to do all of this, it looks like a lot of work. Want some help?"

"No, I'm good," Jungeun says cheerily. "It's pretty much ready, anyways. You could wake up Sooyoung, though."

"Good idea, I'm pretty sure she'll murder me if she misses out on this," Jiwoo chuckles.

A couple of minutes later, Sooyoung emerges from her room, with Jinsol trailing behind her blearily. 

Jungeun catches sight of marks on Jinsol's collarbones, before Jinsol notices her staring, and tugs at the neckline of her shirt in an attempt to cover herself up.

"Looks like you two had a good night," Jungeun quips, receiving a high five from Jiwoo for that.

"Be careful, I could make some comments about you," Sooyoung warns. "I mean, you also stayed the night."

Jiwoo glares at Sooyoung. "Yeah well, unlike you guys, nothing happened, so zip it," she says. In response, Sooyoung just rolls her eyes good-naturedly. 

"So the wedding's coming up pretty soon, right?" Jinsol says, flicking the kettle on in order to brew some coffee. "You been dress shopping yet? Maybe Sooyoung can take you on a trip tomorrow or something."

"Actually, I was thinking Jungeun and I would just go together," Jiwoo says. "Then we can make sure our dresses don't look bad together."

Sooyoung smirks. "You're going to color co-ordinate your outfits? Cute."

"No, I wasn't thinking that but I guess we could," Jiwoo says.

"What do you think, Jungeun, you reckon you should match your outfits?" Jinsol asks.

Jungeun shrugs. "We could, but I think we should definitely buy them together at least," she says. "Just so they'll look nice."

Jiwoo sidles up to her and slings an arm around her waist. "I know you don't really like dresses, but we'll find a good one, yeah?"

With the way that Jiwoo's looking up at her so fondly, Jungeun feels all her worries about dress shopping dissipate in an instant. She smiles back at Jiwoo and nods eagerly. "Yeah, we'll find something good." 

 

—

 

Maybe shopping with Jungeun is a little more stressful than Jiwoo would have liked, but she manages to stay patient throughout the day. The problem is Jungeun's reluctance to try the dresses on; she just looks at them and gives her opinion on whether she likes the color or not. Jiwoo finds a dress for herself pretty easily, after looking at only a couple of stores. The one she picks out is a beautiful light pink, and she figures that it won't be too difficult to find Jungeun something that will complement it. 

They've been in about six different stores and there's not long left until closing time. Jiwoo forces Jungeun to take a seat whilst she browses around the store and chooses a few dresses for Jungeun to try on. It works a little better this way around, with Jiwoo picking out the dresses and Jungeun taking a breather.

Jiwoo ushers Jungeun into one of the dressing room cubicles, handing her the array of dresses. 

"Try them on and show them to me," Jiwoo instructs, giving Jungeun some privacy and waiting just outside for her. Jungeun goes through them all but none of them seem to work. Jiwoo makes her wait in the dressing room while she picks out a few more outfits. 

She finds a lovely long blue dress and instantly her eyes light up. "Jungeun, I think this is the one," she says when she returns. She waits excitedly as Jungeun tries it on. 

"Jiwoo, I don't think this suits me," Jungeun whines, poking her head round the dressing room door. 

In return, Jiwoo pulls a face. "You know, I really doubt that," she says. "Everything suits you."

It's hard to miss the blush that coats Jungeun's cheeks at Jiwoo's compliment. She ducks her head, feeling shy all of a sudden.

"Come on, I want to see," Jiwoo urges, pulling at the door handle. 

Jungeun clutches onto it, preventing Jiwoo from prying the door open. They stare each other down for a few seconds, before Jungeun admits defeat and finally steps out so that Jiwoo can see her outfit properly.

Jiwoo gapes at her. "You look..."

"Bad, I know, this isn't my color," Jungeun says hastily, mistaking Jiwoo's pause to mean something negative.

"No, you look incredible," Jiwoo says, composing herself. "That dress is practically made for you. Just wait until everyone at the wedding sees you. They're gonna wish you were their date instead."

Jungeun smirks. "Don't get jealous if people try and steal me away from you," she teases. She peers at herself in the mirror. "You really think this looks okay?" 

Jiwoo steps up behind her and slips an arm around her waist. "You look beautiful, Jungeun," she says, in a low voice. With her other hand, she softly tucks Jungeun's hair behind her ear and rests her head on her shoulder, her nose tickling Jungeun's ear. 

All of a sudden, Jungeun feels light-headed. She turns around, startling Jiwoo a little bit. Jungeun snakes a hand around the back of Jiwoo's neck and pulls her close. 

"What are you doing?" Jiwoo sounds panicked. 

Jungeun lets her eyelids flutter closed. "Sssh," she whispers, feeling Jiwoo relax a bit at that. 

Without another thought, Jungeun leans in and kisses Jiwoo. Her hands slide down Jiwoo's sides, eventually coming to rest on her waist, and when she feels Jiwoo's breath hitch at her touch, Jungeun can't help but smirk against Jiwoo's lips. She deepens the kiss when Jiwoo threads a hand in her hair and tugs ever so slightly, walking them backwards into the changing room. 

Jiwoo closes the door behind her, never once breaking the kiss. She backs Jungeun up against the mirror, taking pride in hearing the soft moan that escapes Jungeun's mouth when her knee slots in between Jungeun's legs. 

"What was that?" Jungeun pants when they finally break apart after what feels like hours. In reality, it was only a matter of minutes.

Jiwoo quirks an eyebrow at her. "I guess it was practice," she says, licking her lips as she stares at Jungeun with an unreadable expression on her features. "But you're the one who started it, so you tell me. What was it?"

Gazing right back at her, Jungeun finds it near impossible to lie straight to Jiwoo's face, but she manages to, for her own good. "Yeah, it was for practice," she says, still breathless. She wishes she had the courage to say what she actually means, but she doesn't cross that line. She keeps her feet firmly planted on the right side of the line. "Just practice."

"Okay." Jiwoo nods. She steps away from Jungeun. "You should get dressed. I'll wait outside."

If Jungeun had watched Jiwoo more carefully when she walks out of the changing room, she might have noticed the disappointed look etched across Jiwoo's face. As it is, Jungeun misses it entirely, concentrating on not breaking the zipper of the dress. When she emerges a couple of minutes later, Jiwoo is as bubbly as ever and they make their way to the checkout. Jungeun doesn't allow herself to think about what kissing Jiwoo meant, not for the rest of the day, and not on any other day for that matter. She figures she just needs to focus on getting through the wedding without making a fool of herself around Jiwoo.

 

—

 

Jiwoo makes an airtight plan for herself. The purpose of it is to prevent her from falling further in love with Jungeun. Seeing as she's already in way over her head, she figures she needs a way to stop things from getting any more out of control. Thus, she concocts a master-plan, full of methods to help her repress her feelings.

Number one, no more practices. If she kisses Jungeun any more before the wedding itself, she knows she'll internally combust. Therefore, kissing is out of the window, no matter how often she has to fight the urge when she's with Jungeun. It's pretty much impossible to cut down the amount of time she has to spend with Jungeun, because it seems like all their days are filled up with planning and packing. So Jiwoo can't really get out of that one, but she's careful not to sit too close to Jungeun at the kitchen table when they're discussing the best way to convince Jiwoo's grandparents that they're actually dating and not just best friends. Since the night of the school reunion, Jiwoo has refrained from inviting Jungeun to sleep over with her. She prays to god that she'll be able to avoid sharing a bed with Jungeun over the trip.

On the day they're due to leave to get to the wedding location, which happens to be a three hour drive away, Jungeun brings all of her luggage around to Jiwoo's place, so they can go through and check that they have the right clothes for all of the events, and go over the itinerary yet again, just in case. Jiwoo's parents sent her several documents in preparation, so Jiwoo and Jungeun take on the task of reading through it all. 

Everything is perfect, except for the fact that Jiwoo's foolproof plan to not fall further in love with Jungeun has one fatal flaw.

"My parents booked a room with a double bed," she says, flicking through the papers just to double check. She desperately hopes they made a mistake. Much to her dismay, both her and Jungeun's names are printed on the booking. 

Jungeun shrugs. "We could just change it, if that's what you want," she says offhandedly. "It shouldn't be too hard. At least we're not like Jinsol and Sooyoung, when they tried to book a double room on vacation and they were given two singles."

Jiwoo tries her best to remain composed, she really does. "Maybe we could book a twin room instead," she offers. "Just because it might be cheaper, you know?"

"Here, let me look," Jungeun says, reaching for the papers. She finds the hotel brochure clipped to the back of the documents and quickly scans through it. "No, the double is cheaper, there's a deal on it. That's probably why your parents chose that option."

"So, what do you want to do?" Jiwoo asks. 

"The double sounds good to me," Jungeun says honestly. "It's not like we've never shared a bed before, right? We always do when we're at your place. I bet we'll get all the couple deals at the hotel as well. What could go wrong?"

Everything could go wrong, Jiwoo thinks. There are a million alarm bells ringing in her head but she goes against her better judgement. So what if she's going to have to share a bed with Jungeun for three nights in a row? It's not like she's hopelessly in love with her or anything. Except for the glaringly obvious fact that she is absolutely head over heels for Jungeun. Her mind wanders back to the incident in the dressing room, where she lost control of her feelings and kissed Jungeun out of the blue. Sure, they've shared a bed plenty of times but never in this kind of situation. 

"If you're worried about me stealing the covers, you can just kick me out," Jungeun teases. She rests a hand on Jiwoo's shoulder reassuringly. "Let's just stick with what your parents planned, okay?"

Jiwoo nods. "You ready to go, then? I just need to find my car keys."

"No, I'll drive us there," Jungeun argues. "You should relax before the big day."

Jiwoo rolls her eyes. "Jungeun, I'm perfectly capable of driving," she protests. She makes the mistake of looking up at Jungeun, and is met with the sweetest pout she's ever seen. Jungeun's puppy dog technique always sways her. "Fine," Jiwoo says, zipping her suitcase up. "But if you get tired, tell me. I don't want to die because you ran us off the road."

"Oh, you don't trust me?" Jungeun says teasingly, smirking at her.

Jiwoo straightens up, leaning into Jungeun's space. "I always trust you," she says softly.

 

—

 

The drive goes smoothly and passes by in a blur, as the girls lose themselves singing along to Jiwoo's playlist. Before they know it, they've arrived at the hotel. Jungeun parks up and they lug their bags through to reception. Neither of them have ever been in a hotel quite as luxurious as this before - golden chandeliers hang down from the entrance and the grand staircase looks like something out of the 19th century. 

The receptionist looks through their documents and hands them their keys curtly, but not before shooting them both a condescending look. Jungeun narrows her eyes at him as they walk away, and he at least has the decency to look a little guilty for his behaviour.

"I'm glad your parents booked ahead of time," Jungeun remarks as they ride the elevator up to their floor. "That guy was pretty rude to us."

Jiwoo just shrugs. "In a fancy place like this, it's not really surprising," she says casually. "My parents told me to just ignore the staff here, apparently they all have a superiority complex."

They reach their room and their jaws drop at the sight of it. The space is  _huge_ \- it's practically an apartment. They have their own kitchen and dining area, accompanied by a living room with views out over the surrounding countryside. Jiwoo opens the fridge and finds it stocked with mini bar items. They wander around the place, taking it all in.

Finally, they push the door to the bedroom and their eyes widen. The bed is king size, more than they were expecting, but what captures their attention most is the bottle of champagne lying atop the duvet. Jungeun crosses the room and picks the bottle up, inspecting it.

"Do you reckon we have to pay extra for this?" she wonders.

"I'll ask my parents," Jiwoo says, fishing her phone out of her bag. Within a minute, she gets a reply. "Apparently it's complimentary," she says, grinning. "We should save it for later."

They both take it in turns to have a shower before their dinner reservation. As part of the hotel package, they get all of their meals included in the price, which Jiwoo's parents have fully covered anyway. Even before Jiwoo was going to persuade them to pay for Jungeun, they had offered, and Jiwoo accepted on behalf of Jungeun. She knows Jungeun would never purposefully let her get away with something like that, so she made sure not to let slip the price of the hotel to Jungeun. She knows that Jungeun will want to pay her back for the room after the wedding is over. No matter what, she's not going to accept any money from Jungeun, especially since she's the one who dragged Jungeun along, not the other way around.

Dinner isn't a formal event, as Jiwoo made the decision not to introduce Jungeun to her family until tomorrow. Still, they make sure to dress up nicely, so at least they'll fit in with the other diners. Their waiter places them at a table near the window, the one with the best views. Jiwoo's pretty sure her parents must have pulled a few strings to get them these kind of favors. She's grateful that their waiter is polite to them, and not patronizing, as the receptionist was.

"I'm kind of nervous about tomorrow," Jungeun admits over dessert. 

Jiwoo frowns. "How come? The wedding isn't until the day after." Then she realizes. "Wait, is it about meeting my family?"

"Yeah, I love your parents, but I'm a little bit scared to meet your aunts and cousins and everyone else," Jungeun says. "Do they know you're into girls?"

"I think my mother probably gave some of them a heads up," Jiwoo chuckles. "Most of them don't know, though. They're not important anyway, so it doesn't really matter. As long as they're not rude to you, then I don't care about them at all."

"Well, they better not say anything bad about you," Jungeun says, smirking slightly. "I don't know what I'd do to them if that happens."

Out of nowhere, Jiwoo grabs Jungeun's hand resting on the table and intertwines their fingers. "Go easy on them," she grins. 

They spend the rest of their dinner holding hands across the table as they finish off their glasses of wine. As soon as they get back to their room, Jungeun collapses dramatically onto the bed and lies there for a while, eyes closed, before Jiwoo comes into the bedroom looking for her.

"You're tired already?" Jiwoo laughs. "It's only 10pm."

"So?" Jungeun challenges, opening one eye to squint at Jiwoo, who's now searching through her suitcase for her nightwear. "This is my normal bedtime, you know that."

Jiwoo turns to her and pulls a sad face. "You won't watch a movie with me?" she whines. "Or even just an episode of something? There's a new season of-"

"Okay fine," Jungeun sighs, mustering up the strength to pull herself up into a sitting position. She shuffles to the edge of the bed and gestures towards her own suitcase. "If you give me my pyjamas, then I'll watch something with you." 

That's as good a compromise as any Jiwoo's encountered with Jungeun, so she retrieves the clothes for Jungeun and heads to the bathroom to brush her teeth, giving Jungeun the chance to get dressed in the room. When she returns, she makes Jungeun get up off the bed and clean her teeth as well. 

"If I'm going to kiss you in front of your family tomorrow, you better not have bad breath," she teases. She knows that Jungeun's blushing, especially with the way she ducks her head and avoids looking at her as she rushes to the bathroom. Jiwoo grins to herself, secretly proud of the fact that she's managed to make Jungeun flustered again. She's careful not to mention anything more on the subject, though, so when Jungeun comes back, she acts as if she never made that joke.

An hour into the film that Jiwoo's picked, Jungeun falls asleep. It comes as no surprise, really, and as soon as Jiwoo notices the sound of Jungeun's breathing, she turns off the lights and puts away her tablet, crawling back under the covers. Jiwoo doesn't drift off for a while, her brain too occupied with thoughts about the wedding for her mind to settle down for sleep. She really tries not to toss and turn, all too aware of disturbing Jungeun, but she can't help it.

"Jiwoo, stop moving," Jungeun mumbles, throwing an arm out to halt Jiwoo as she's in the middle of turning her pillow around. 

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up," Jiwoo whispers, going still.

"I've been awake for a while," Jungeun replies quietly. She rolls over and presses herself into Jiwoo's side. "You were pretty cute tossing and turning, though."

Jiwoo's extremely glad that the light's off, otherwise Jungeun would be able to see her blush. She lets out a nervous giggle. "I won't do it anymore, don't worry."

Jungeun tugs at Jiwoo's waist, getting her to turn so that Jungeun's cuddling her from behind. "That's better," Jungeun whispers, burying her face in Jiwoo's neck. "You're so comfy." 

With Jungeun's arms around her, Jiwoo falls asleep easily within a matter of minutes. If only she could go to sleep like this every night, she thinks, just before she drifts off.

 

—

 

Jungeun is awake well before Jiwoo in the morning, which is to be expected. As breakfast doesn't start until 8:30, Jungeun lets Jiwoo sleep in a little before she coaxes her awake with a cup of coffee under her nose. 

They're both feeling pretty chipper when they head down to breakfast. When one of the servers leads them to a free table, once again situated near the windows, Jiwoo freezes momentarily. 

She nudges Jungeun subtly. "The couple sitting two tables down are my aunt and uncle," she says in a low voice. "I can't tell if they saw me or not."

"You don't want to go over and say hi to them?" Jungeun queries. 

"They're sort of...well let's just say they're not my favorite family members," Jiwoo says by way of explanation. "Maybe it's a good thing that you're facing them and I'm not."

Jungeun nods. "At least there's table service here, and not a buffet," she agrees. 

They manage to successfully avoid Jiwoo's less-favored relatives, even when they leave, as Jiwoo walks on the other side of Jungeun, out of sight of her uncle and aunt. 

Back in their room, they get themselves ready for lunch with Jiwoo's parents. Seeing as they're also due to meet other members of Jiwoo's extended family, both of the girls make sure to pick out their nicest outfits, though not the dresses they chose for the wedding day. 

Because there's some time to kill, Jiwoo puts the TV on in the living room and they spend a couple of hours sprawled on the couch, mindlessly watching nature programmes. 

Soon, the clock strikes midday and they head down to the dining area of the hotel once again. Already, Jiwoo's starting to get bored of the sheer elegance of the building. Luxurious places like this have never really been her thing, and neither are they suited to Jungeun. Jiwoo would have been perfectly content had they been shacked up in a cabin for a few days, but she knows that's not the bride's style. Her cousin certainly has more class than that. 

Though Jungeun's met Jiwoo's parents plenty of times before, and she knows them very well, it's her first time meeting them in this sort of capacity, where she's pretending to be dating their daughter. So naturally, she's feeling pretty scared at this moment. 

As soon as Jiwoo spots her parents, she slips her hand into Jungeun's and gives it a reassuring squeeze. "You'll be fine," she says sweetly, leading Jungeun over to the table where her parents are waiting for them. 

Jungeun relaxes into it, quickly becoming accustomed to chatting with Jiwoo's parents. Though she's under the guise of being Jiwoo's girlfriend, she feels like she's the same 16-year-old girl who used to go to Jiwoo's house for sleepovers every Friday after school. Luckily, Jiwoo's parents don't press her for details about her and Jiwoo's relationship, so she doesn't have to worry about making too many slip-ups.

Nothing eventful happens during lunch, much to everyone's relief. Jiwoo and Jungeun make sure to hold hands under the table, orchestrating it so that it's obvious enough for Jiwoo's parents to notice the display of affection. 

Jiwoo's parents may be supportive of their 'relationship', but they warn the girls that not all of Jiwoo's relatives feel the same way. Of course, that was to be expected, so Jungeun tries not to feel too nervous when she's introduced to some of Jiwoo's aunts and uncles later on in the afternoon, at the place where the wedding reception is due to be held the next day. 

To her credit, Jiwoo puts on a brave front and insists on holding Jungeun's hand throughout the entire ordeal. It helps keep up the pretence and also puts Jungeun at ease, so she's glad of the gesture. Once or twice, Jiwoo surprises her with a kiss on the cheek, so Jungeun tries her best not to look too affected in front of everyone. The last thing she wants to do is blow their cover.

Jiwoo's cousins are much more amicable than her aunts and uncles, and they welcome Jungeun right away. The bride-to-be greets Jungeun warmly and even talks her ear off for a good half hour about Jiwoo's childhood stories. Jungeun manages to give her some good cannon fodder with particular tales of Jiwoo's high school days, which her cousin is much grateful for. At one point, Jiwoo gets so embarrassed about the anecdotes that she tucks her head into Jungeun's shoulder and refuses to listen to any more of the conversation. When she raises her head after a little while, she looks so adorable that Jungeun forgets to take a breath for a moment. Without thinking, Jungeun kisses her. It's chaste, but it's enough to make the tips of her ears burn when she realizes what she's done, and she doesn't miss the blush that coats Jiwoo's cheeks, either. Nobody bats an eyelid, and the conversation with Jiwoo's cousin goes on.

The introductions seem to last for hours. Finally, once Jiwoo and Jungeun have been assigned their seats for the reception, they're allowed to take their leave. They promise Jiwoo's parents that they'll meet them for dinner in a couple of hours, then make a hasty retreat to their hotel room. There's no air of awkwardness between them as they ride in the elevator; neither of them dare to mention the kiss.

"I feel like taking a nap," Jiwoo announces, once she's had a much-needed cup of coffee. 

"You sure you're not going to be bouncing off the walls after that?" Jungeun chuckles, gesturing to the empty cup. 

"No, I'll be asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow," Jiwoo says, already heading to the bedroom. 

Jungeun follows her, looking equally as exhausted. "I'll set an alarm for dinner," she suggests. 

They both climb into bed, not bothering to get out of their clothes. Jiwoo knows she'll regret keeping her socks on, that she'll overheat under the warm duvet, but she decides it's worth paying the price for a nap. They end up curled up next to each other, out of habit.

Dinner with Jiwoo's parents goes well. The only problem occurs when they're ordering dessert. Jiwoo chooses the strawberry cheesecake and Jungeun almost asks for the chocolate sundae when Jiwoo sends her a pointed look and Jungeun remembers that part of their plan was sharing desserts when they're eating with others. 

The only thing is, she hates strawberry cheesecake. That might be the only thing about her that Jiwoo doesn't already know. At this point, she can't really back out and convince Jiwoo to choose something else. So, to help keep up the guise of them being smitten with each other, she asks the waiter for two spoons with the dish. 

"Jiwoo's favorite dessert has always been strawberry cheesecake," her mother says, smiling fondly at her daughter.

Jungeun does know this fact, so she smiles along with them. "We always love going to the ice cream parlor near Jiwoo's apartment," she says. "Jiwoo always gets strawberry scoops."

"Do you share those as well?" Jiwoo's father asks, good-naturedly.

"We do!" Jiwoo chimes in animatedly. "But Jungeun's favorite flavor is chocolate, so we don't always share all of ours."

When the dessert comes, Jungeun has a few spoonfuls, but she lets Jiwoo eat most of it. By the looks of it, Jiwoo's parents find it pretty entertaining to see their daughter wolfing down the shared dessert. 

"You know, I've always known that you two would be an important part of each other's lives," Jiwoo's mother says, giving Jungeun a warm smile. "I can tell that you take such good care of Jiwoo. It's lovely to see how you've grown up together."

"Jiwoo's very lucky to have you," her father agrees. "Jungeun, just tell us if Jiwoo's ever giving you a hard time and we'll sort her out for you, alright?" he chuckles at them. 

Jungeun feels herself tearing up and she looks down at the table. "Thank you," she says softly. She wishes that their words could actually ring true. Suddenly, she feels Jiwoo's hand on her thigh and she can't help but smile at the affectionate gesture. 

Jiwoo leans over and whispers in her ear. "Let's go, I can tell my parents are getting tired."

They all get up from the table and say their goodbyes, parting ways at the elevator. 

When they're in their room, the girls watch tv for an hour or so, then they start cleaning themselves up. Jungeun does her teeth and washes her face, and then lounges on the bed, resting her eyes a bit. 

"Hey, thanks for today," Jiwoo says, coming back into the bedroom after brushing her teeth. Neither of them are in their pyjamas yet. 

"What do you mean?" Jungeun looks at her curiously. "I didn't do anything."

Jiwoo settles herself next to Jungeun on the bed, lying back against the mountain of pillows. "God, you're so annoying," she ribs. "I'm being serious, thank you for being so...good."

"So I was just good, hmm?" Jungeun grins. She shifts a little closer to Jiwoo. "Do I get a reward for being _good_ , then? 

Jiwoo looks at her and hums quietly. "Maybe," she says. "But on one condition."

Jungeun licks her lips. "Oh yeah? What's that?" 

"You have to ask nicely," Jiwoo says, not missing the way Jungeun's eyes darken slightly at her words. 

Jungeun lifts herself up, moving closer and closer to Jiwoo until she's practically hovering above her. Their eyes meet and Jungeun asks a question wordlessly, her gaze flickering from Jiwoo's eyes to her lips and Jiwoo nods just the tiniest amount, which is enough for Jungeun to lean down and close the gap between them. 

They kiss unhurriedly at first, each of them content with the pace, but after a while, Jiwoo becomes uncomfortable in the position she's in, so she sits up a little further and pulls Jungeun into her lap. All at once, things become more heated and Jiwoo finds herself gripping at Jungeun's waist, urging her to move against her. 

Jungeun's hands brush against the bottom of Jiwoo's shirt, sliding underneath it, and Jiwoo's skin almost burns under her touch.

Jiwoo's breath hitches and she suddenly realizes the true weight of what they're about to do - that is, if Jungeun's on the same page as her. 

Noticing Jiwoo's hesitation, Jungeun moves back a little. "Hey, if you don't want to do this, just tell me-"

"I want to," Jiwoo says, her voice impossibly low. 

Jungeun's face softens and she trails her fingers over Jiwoo's collarbone. "Good," she whispers, leaning into Jiwoo, grazing her teeth against Jiwoo's jaw. She begins making her way down Jiwoo's body, pressing kisses to her skin. 

"God, you're gorgeous," Jiwoo says breathlessly. She slips her fingers underneath the hem of Jungeun's shirt and tugs on it, urging Jungeun to comply. "Take this off," she says, her voice raspy. 

Jungeun stops her descent and helps Jiwoo take off her shirt. "You happy?" she teases, following the movement of Jiwoo's eyes as she lets them roam over her body. 

"Yeah, I am," Jiwoo murmurs into the slope of Jungeun's neck. 

 

—

 

When Jiwoo wakes up the next morning, she's shocked to find Jungeun still fast asleep beside her. She lifts up the duvet to check whether either of them are wearing anything, but they're both in the same unclothed state. She's pretty worn out from earlier, and figures she's only had about five hours sleep. She swings her legs out of bed and stumbles about the room, trying to find something decent to wear. The only item of clothing she finds is one of Jungeun's sweaters, so she throws that on and pads into the kitchen. It's well past the start of breakfast, but she doesn't go to wake Jungeun up just yet. 

After about ten minutes of watching the TV on mute, Jiwoo hears the bedroom door open and she turns to see Jungeun in an oversized shirt. 

"Is that my sweater?" Jungeun peers at Jiwoo, rubbing her eyes blearily. She stares at her for a moment, then hums appreciatively. "It looks good on you."

Jiwoo chokes on her words, heat rising to her cheeks. She meets Jungeun's eyes hesitantly, then dips her head, hoping Jungeun won't notice how flushed her face is. "Shut up," she murmurs. 

"You can keep it," Jungeun offers, cracking a smile at Jiwoo's blushing. She saunters over to the couch and drapes herself next to Jiwoo. She reaches across and runs her hands through Jiwoo's hair, pulling her closer. 

"Stop," Jiwoo murmurs, with little conviction in her tone.

"Hmm?" Jungeun tilts her head and looks up at Jiwoo through her lashes.

"You're so unfair," Jiwoo says breathlessly, and then she's surging forward to capture Jungeun's lips.

After a couple of hours, they realize they never actually had any breakfast, having been so preoccupied with each other. So Jungeun proposes that they drive to the nearby gas station and fill up the car so it's ready for the drive back the next day. The wedding doesn't start for a while, so they have plenty of time to get into their outfits when they get back. 

"Let me pay for the gas," Jiwoo insists. "I know it's your car, but I owe you."

"Owe me for what?" Jungeun looks confused.

"For coming with me on this trip, agreeing to be my date, all of that," Jiwoo says. "You didn't have to do any of it, but-"

"Jiwoo, I did it because I wanted to," Jungeun says firmly. "But fine, if you really want to, you can fill the tank up."

Jiwoo narrows her eyes at her. "That's not what I meant, I want to actually pay for it as well," she insists. 

At the gas station, Jiwoo calls Sooyoung.

"We hooked up last night but I don't know how she feels about me," Jiwoo sputters, throwing her change down on the counter. She apologizes to the cashier for being so crude over the phone.

Jinsol's screams of excitement can be heard clearly on the other side of the line, and Jiwoo can't help but smile at the sound.

"Wow," Sooyoung says. "Just ask her. I bet she feels something."

"I don't know," Jiwoo says. "We haven't talked about it, I don't want to ignore it but I'm scared to bring it up."

"TALK TO HER," Jinsol yells. "Don't be such a dumbass!"

"In other words, you should figure it out soon," Sooyoung says, a lot calmer than Jinsol is.

Jiwoo huffs. "What if she just wants to stay friends?"

"I mean, you guys had sex last night, so you're pretty much past the point of friends," Sooyoung reasons.

"Also this morning," Jiwoo says, bracing herself for their reactions. Sooyoung lets out an incredibly high-pitched noise and Jinsol sounds like she's completely lost her mind.

"You're telling me that you and Jungeun have already fucked twice and you still don't think that she sees you as anything more than a friend?" Jinsol asks incredulously. "Jiwoo, get your act together."

Jiwoo leaves the shop and makes eye contact with Jungeun through the car windscreen. The older girl is having the time of her life singing along to Hyolyn. 

"I have to go," Jiwoo says hurriedly. "I'll call you guys later, okay? Once the wedding's over."

Sooyoung sighs loudly. "No, don't call us tonight, you should be spending time with Jungeun."

"Yeah, spending time in bed with her," Jinsol quips. 

"Jinsol, shut up," Jiwoo mutters. "But seriously, I'll speak to you guys soon, once things are sorted out. Wish me luck."

She doesn't manage to talk to Jungeun about their situation when they get back to the hotel, because they're too busy preparing for the wedding. 

Jiwoo helps Jungeun with the zipper of her dress and she's tempted to kiss her, like they did on the shopping trip, but she refrains from doing so, and forces herself to focus. Besides, she doesn't really want to ruin her lipstick. 

 

—

 

The wedding is absolutely incredible. The ceremony itself is beautiful, and has pretty much every guest in the chapel crying their eyes out. 

Really, the highlight is the reception. The cake is magnificent and Jiwoo steaks a couple of extra slices when she goes back for seconds. She has fun feeding Jungeun the slices in front of the people on their table; her relatives' reactions are priceless. To escape some of the gossiping, she persuades Jungeun to dance with her after the newlyweds have their first dance. 

When the MC announces the couples dance, Jiwoo seizes the opportunity. She doesn't give Jungeun the choice to back out, and luckily she's a willing participant. 

The first songs are pretty upbeat, but then the music switches to a slower style, and Jiwoo's itching to place Jungeun's hands on her waist and sway along. 

"Want to dance properly to this?" Jungeun asks, seemingly reading her mind. She wraps her arms around Jiwoo, and they move gently in time with the music. 

At the end of the song, they break apart and Jiwoo looks up at Jungeun just in time to see her lean in and  _oh._ Jungeun's kissing her in front of everyone in this room. Jiwoo feels light-headed, and she's suddenly hyper-aware of her surroundings. When Jungeun breaks the kiss, she's smirking slightly. 

"That was good, right?" she whispers, her eyes sparkling. "I think it convinced your relatives."

That's the last straw for Jiwoo. She's had enough of these games, wondering whether Jungeun actually  _feels_ something for her, that she's not just a plaything for her. 

Jiwoo grabs Jungeun's hand and turns swiftly on her heel. She drags Jungeun along behind her, leading her out of the room. She only stops when they're in an empty corridor, safely out of the earshot of the wedding guests. 

"What's the matter?" Jungeun asks, concern etched on her features. 

Taking a deep breath, Jiwoo begins to talk. "I need to know what everything means," she says, trying her best to look Jungeun in the eyes as she speaks. "When you kissed me in the store, that wasn't just practice, right? I mean, what about all those times we cuddled at night, and when we slept together? I want to know if any of that meant something to you, or if it was all just part of this act. I know we're only pretending to be girlfriends, and I know I'm the one who started that, but I'm in love with you, Jungeun."

"Stop a second," Jungeun interjects. She takes a step towards Jiwoo. "You really think that after we had sex it didn't mean anything to me?" 

Jiwoo hangs her head. "I don't know, I guess I'm just confused about all of this," she admits. "I just don't know if you actually have feelings for me or not."

Jungeun cups her face. "Jiwoo, I love you," she says, her eyes watering. "I've been in love with you since...well pretty much since we started high school. I know that's a long time, but-" 

"Shut up, I've been in love with you for that long, too," Jiwoo laughs. She kisses Jungeun deeply. "We're probably the only ones who didn't know, huh?" 

Jungeun rolls her eyes. "You're definitely right about that," she groans. "I bet if we phoned Sooyoung and Jinsol right now, they'd say they called it from the beginning." 

"Yeah, let's not give them the satisfaction," Jiwoo murmurs, pulling Jungeun in for another kiss. "We can tell them later."

**Author's Note:**

> hope you guys enjoyed !!
> 
> [my twitter](https://twitter.com/chuulipseuls)


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